We could debate this forever, I guess, but my understanding of the ‘cakes and ale’ phrase has, since living in England, been that ‘cakes’ must have been something savory and substantial. This was most certainly the case in Shakespeare’s time if not Maughm’s. If they were sweet they would have been called puddings. See attached link, which references an old Oxford legend about ‘cakes and ale’ and says their modern day equivalent would be ‘hamburgers and soda.’http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=389277

We could debate this forever, I guess, but my understanding of the ‘cakes and ale’ phrase has, since living in England, been that ‘cakes’ must have been something savory and substantial. This was most certainly the case in Shakespeare’s time if not Maughm’s. If they were sweet they would have been called puddings. See attached link, which references an old Oxford legend about ‘cakes and ale’ and says their modern day equivalent would be ‘hamburgers and soda.’http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=389277